Lose Weight Fast: Take the 10-Week Challenge!

Everyone wants to lose weight fast. If you look at any one of the diet forums and blogs on the web today, you’ll see that much of the world wants a silver bullet…a magic pill…a wonder diet…I’m sorry to say that they simply don’t exist, my friends…save your money. The good news is that you can still lose weight relatively fast, and keep it off, if you do it the right way.

So what’s the “right way” to lose weight fast? Let’s first look at the wrong ways to lose weight. What do all of the quick-solution diets have in common? They appeal to our impatient nature for instant results. The success of these systems is usually based on short-term results. Let’s say, for example, that you purchase a program that has a 30-day supply of food. You eat their 1,200-calorie per day meal plan for 30-days and you lose 10-15 pounds. You’re thrilled!...right? You look and feel better…now what? You go right back to your old habits and in 2-3 months you’re back to where you started or even heavier. Was it worth it? To Lose weight fast feels great...gaining it back feels awful!

If you want to lose weight fast the "right way", you’ll need to make some permanent changes to your habits. This takes time. The habits that we instill gradually have a much greater chance of lasting for the long-term than those that we try to instantly adopt…example?...go to your local gym and look at the parking lot on January 2nd. Now go back to the same gym and look at the parking lot on March 2nd. Where did they all go? Most of them set a new year's resolution to workout everyday. So after working out, non-stop, for a week with no rest, and seeing no difference on the bathroom scale, most people come to the conclusion that it’s just not worth it…and they quit. If you try to do too much too soon, your mind and body will resist. Those that succeed probably started by going to the gym for 2 days the first week, 3 days the second week, and so on.

So what’s the best way to lose weight fast? The same way - gradual, positive improvements...not one giant leap. Try this 10-week challenge below. Ten weeks may sound like a long time, but time goes by quickly and if you’re able to make these habit changes and stick to them, you’re likely to keep going and setting new health and fitness goals after that. It feels great to lose weight and if you can do it with out starving yourself, you’ll have a much more positive attitude towards adopting change and maintaining your new habits. Well...this is the point where you roll up your sleeves…get out a pencil and paper…and let's look at what this 10-week challenge entails:

The 10-week Weight Loss Challenge!

Define your GoalSince the timeline has been established (10 weeks), we now have to figure out what our weight loss goal should be within that time frame. I’d recommend 1 pound of weight loss per week. One pound is aggressive enough to see significant results by the end, but safe enough not to disrupt your life too much. I know you want to lose weight fast, but you also want to keep it off, right? A pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories. There are 7 days per week…so we need to burn 500 calories more each day than we eat. Sound good? On to Step 2.

How many calories do I burn each day?The amount of calories that you burn each day is called your
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Click the preceding link for a calculator and further explanation. Your BMR reflects your body’s calorie needs in order to maintain your current weight. Let’s say, for example, that your BMR is 2,000 calories per day. Subtract 500 calories and your goal would be 1,500 calories a day. Do you want to be able to eat more and still lose weight? See the next step!

Exercise…the weight loss accelerator!If you truly want to lose weight fast…the right way…exercise must be part of the solution. Let’s take the above example of a BMR of 2,000 calories per day. Now add in 15 minutes of morning calisthenics and a 2-mile walk or jog…and your body is now burning 2,300 calories per day. So, using the same example, you can eat 1,800 calories and still meet your 10-pound weight loss goal! There’s another free calculator on the
Calories Burned by Exercise page that can help you figure out these numbers. If you’re a walker, have you thought about starting to jog or run? There’s a nice
10-week beginner running plan that gradually steps up your mileage in just 3 weekly workouts so that you’ll be running 3 miles by the end of the plan. Running is a great calorie burner and a fun hobby…check out the preceding link, if interested in starting. There's no better way to lose weight fast than by becoming a runner!

Food: How much & what kinds?I don’t know about you, but there's no way I could give up my favorite junky foods...forever. Cutting back…sure…that’s OK. Declaring that I’ll never eat chocolate again…that’s just not realistic. Your plan should be a mixture of portion adjustments and replacing junky foods with healthier foods. The best way to approach your calorie counting is to start a food log. Start each day off with a negative number (your BMR). As you eat foods, add in their calorie value. As you exercise, subtract that value. Your goal is to end each day with a -500 value. If there’s a wedding, party, or otherwise glutinous affair coming up…perhaps you try to get a few -700 days so that you have some more eating freedom during the party. As long as you reach a -3,500 for the week…you’ll meet your goal. Make sure you keep an honest food log, though! In order to lose weight fast, you need to take it one calorie at at a time. Add every cookie or cracker…count out the chips and pretzels for the serving size. It may be a tedious at first, but you’ll get really good at estimating calories of various foods with practice. Use these free tools to assist you with your eating choices:
nutritional value charts,fast food calories,food log template,counting calories advice,good snacks, and
high fiber foods .

Final Step: Be Patient & PersistentWhen we put our hard work and effort into something, we want results and we usually want them NOW. This 10-week challenge is the best way to lose weight fast, but it takes patience if you want long-term results. The changes that you’re now starting will take time…as do all significant accomplishments in life. So don’t get frustrated when the bathroom scale seems to stall for a week or two. You’ll be able to see and feel the results in just a few weeks. Something else to think about…that 10 pounds of fat that you’re going to lose in the next 10 weeks is enough to fill up a gallon milk jug and then some! That’s a significant amount of weight loss and it’ll make a noticeable difference in your appearance. So, be patient and know that great results await you at the end!

In summary, if you want to lose weight fast you shouldn't have to spend any money or radically change your habits overnight. Most of the diets based on these principals usually fail. Take your time and do your homework on weight loss and healthy long-term habits and hopefully you’ll find that it’s best to gradually adopt and implement the health habits discussed above. Now that you’ve started…good luck! Keep up the hard work and take it one day at a time.